Method of processing ores and concentrates containing rare metals and a unit for effecting said method

ABSTRACT

An ore-processing device comprising a melting chamber, a cyclone apparatus having an outlet hole and being connected to said chamber, an ejecting device for furnishing a charge to the device and a cooled sill under the outlet hole.

United States Patent [72] inventors Vladimir Nikolaevich Kostin.

Kutuzovsky prospekt 15. kv. 17:

Ivan Yasilievich Paramonov. Prospekt Mira 188-2, kv. 65: Viktor Vladimirovich Ts ;f'an0v, Dmitrovskoe shosse 153, korp.22. kv. 59. all of Moscow, USSR. Appl. No. 616,889

Filed Feb. 17, 1967 Patented Jan. 12, 1971 [54] METHOD OF PROCESSING ORES AND CON CENTRATES CONTAINING RARE METALS AND A UNIT FOR EFF ECTING SAID METHOD 8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

52 U.S.C1 13 9; 75/ l O [51] Int. Cl 1105b 7/18 [50] Field ofSearch 13/9, 9X,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,311,466 3/1967 Curlook 75/72(X) 885,766 4/1908 De Laval 266/28(X) 2,541,764 2/1951 Herres et a1. 75/10 2,577,764 12/1953 Hulme 75/93(X) 2,769,706 11/1956 Herneryd et a1... 75/10 3,163,520 12/1964 Collin etal. 13/33(X) Primary ExaminerBernard A. Gilheany Assistant Examiner-Roy N. Envall, Jr. Attorney-Waters, Roditi Schwartz & Nissen ABSTRACT: An ore-processing device comprising a melting chamber, a cyclone apparatus having an outlet hole and being connected to said chamber, an ejecting device for furnishing a charge to the device and a cooled sill under the outlet hole,

PATENTED JAN 121911 SHEET 1 0F 2 I I I I METHOD OF PROCESSING ORES AND CONCENTRATES (ZONTATNING RARE METALS AND A UNIT FOR EFFECTING SAID METHOD The present invention relates to a method of processing ores and concentrates containing nonferrous and rare metals, and to a unit for effecting said method.

Known in the prior art is an electrothermic method of processing ores and concentrates containing nonferrous and rare metals, and furnaces for elfecting this method. Disadvantages of this method are a complexity of preparatory operations, the impossibility of obtaining gases rich in sulfurous anhydride, as well as the fact that the metal thereby obtained contains a large amount of impurities in the form of rare metals.

Known is also a method of oxygen melting in a suspension state of copper concentrates with the use of technical grade oxygen. The method consists in that a copper concentrate upon being dried to a moisture content of 0.5 percent is to be blown with oxygen into the melting furnace from one end thereof. The concentrate is fired and melted down there, and the molten bath thus obtained is allowed to settle. A pyritic concentrate is to be blown from the other end of the furnace with a view to removing copper from slags.

The melting is carried out without the consumption of a fuel. Exit gases are rich in sulfurous anhydride, which allows them to be usedin the production of liquefied sulfurous anhydride. The rare metals are, however, difficult to be separated.

The furnace for effecting the oxygen melting in a suspension state is essentially a long melting chamber the roof of which is provided with a vertical gas duct.

At the ends of the furnace thereare provided burners through which the concentrate, together with fluxes, is to be blown into the furnace. The concentrate is melted down in a suspended state, the molten bath thus obtained is allowed to settle and then let out of the furnace. The gases evolving during the melting are drawn off through a gas duct, freed of dust and further employed for the production of liquefied sulfurous anhydride or sulfuric acid. The furnace has large dimensions and does not ensure good removal of copper from the slags, and also generates a great amount of dust.

An object of the present invention is to provide such a method of processing ores and concentrates containing nonferrous and rare metals, and a unit for effecting said method which enables the separation of valuable components from the ores to the fullest possible extent.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of processing ores and concentrates, ensuring a continuous process of firing, melting, reducing and impoverishing them of copper and zinc, and the condensation of the products thus obtained.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of processing ores and concentrates accompanied by the evolution of gases rich in sulfurous anhydride and, hence, with the production of cheap sulfuric acid or liquefied sulfurous anhydride. v

An object of the present invention is also to reduce the evolution of dust from the meltingunit.

The essential feature of the present invention consists in the fact that of the method of processing ores and concentrates containing nonferrous and rare metals with the use of oxygen, the oxygen is supplied to the furnace chamber in the form of eddy currents during the firing, melting and subliming of said ores and concentrates.

The unit for effecting this method is provided with a melting chamber according to the present invention; it has also a cyclone apparatus including an ejecting device and a cooled sill disposed under the outlet hole of the cyclone apparatus.

It is expedient to provide the unit with an electrothermic furnace connected to the melting chamber.

The melting chamber and electrothermic furnace may be housed in a common body divided by a cooled partition wall preventing the sulfurous anhydride from getting into the electric furnace.

It is expedient that the melting chamber and electrothermic furnace be connected by a trough.

The unit may be provided with a condenser connected to the electrothermic furnace and intended for condensing vapors of metals that are sublimed in the course of their electrothermic treatment.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention may become more fully apparent from a consideration of the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of a unit for processing ores and concentrates according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the same unit;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the same unit, taken along the line H of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 represents a unit for processing ores and c0ncentrates, wherein the melting chamber and electrothermic furnace are connected by a trough.

The unit consists of a charging device I (FIG. 1), a cyclone apparatus 2 fitted with an ejector 3 to supply the charge, said cyclone apparatus intended for effecting the firing and melting of raw materials with the use of technical grade oxygen and air, enriched by oxygen, with a lining made of wear-resisting fire-resisting material, for example, zirconium oxide; a melting chamber 4 for the separation of gas and molten bath, said melting chamber being separated by a special cooled partition wall 5 from an electrothermic furnace 6 provided with a bot tom 7 having a pit 8 for the separation of matte from the slag. The electrothermic furnace 6 provided with electrodes 9, receiver 10 (FIG. 2) for the continuous tapping of matte, and with a condenser 11 for collecting the molten zinc. The elec trothermic furnace 6, adjoining the melting chamber 4, is connected to the latter.

The unit operates as follows. The raw materials dried so as to reduce the moisture content to a value of not more than 5 percent, having the size of lumps up to 5 mm., are supplied through a charging device 1 (FIG. 1) into the cyclone apparatus 2 with the aid of an ejector 3 with the use of technical grade oxygen or air enriched by oxygen.

The mixture oxygen-charge is supplied into the melting chamber 4 in the form of eddy flows taking advantage of a cyclone effect.

In a case of processing sulfide raw materials, containing more than 15 percent of sulfur, the operations of firing and melting thereof in the cyclone chamber are effected under an atmosphere of technical grade oxygen, which results in the production of gases rich in sulfurous anhydride (up to per cent).

The melting of oxidized materials or materials which are low in sulfur is effected with the addition of gaseous, liquid or solid fuel. According to the composition of raw materials, the temperature in the melting zone is maintained at a level of 1,200" to 1,600. Readily subliming nonferrous metals, for example, lead, cadmium, selenium, rhenium, and mercury, are sublimated and caught during the cleaning of gases evolving from the melting zone. Hence, this method permits to extract to a greater extent the valuable constituents of ores and concentrates.

The gases obtained during the melting, containing up to 90 percent of sulfurous anhydride with sublimates of lead, cadmium, selenium, rhenium, are sublimated and caught as well as the melt and are supplied through a hole 12 into the separation chamber 4, wherefrom the gas and sublimates are directed for cleaning, while the melt, which falls onto a cooled sill l3, continuously flows by gravity into the electrothermic furnace 6 connected to the melting chamber 41.

In the electrothermic furnace there is carried out the separation of liquid products of the melting process, such as slag and matte, according to the counterflow principle.

The steps of firing, melting, reducing, and impoverishing in copper and zinc, as well as the condensation of products thus obtained occur continuously in one unit, which considerably simplifies the equipment and makes cheaper the processing of ores and concentrates of nonferrous metals.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the melting furnace and electrothermic furnace, interconnected by means of a trough 14.

In case of processing polymetallic raw materials containing more than 4 percent of zinc, there is effected the condensation of zinc so as to obtain the liquid metal.

The matte is tapped through the receiver 10. The molten slag is additionally subjected to electrothermic treatment with a view toward reducing zinc and sublimating it from the zinccontaining raw materials, as well as with a view toward obtaining dump slags when melting copper, nickel, and other concentrates.

The melting chamber 4 (F 1G. 1) and the electrothermic furnace 6 are housed in a common body 15; they are separated from each other by a caisson-type cooled partition wall whose lower portion is immersed in the slag. The presence of such a partition wall precludes the mixing of gases of the oxidation and reduction zones, and permits the maintenance of an independent atmosphere in these zones. From the electrothermic furnace 6 zinc vapors flow through a gas duct 16 (FIG. 3) into the condenser 11 where zinc is condensed so as to obtain the liquid metal.

The slag is tapped from the electrothermic furnace continuously or periodically through a tapping device 17 (FIG. 2).

When processing copper or nickel concentrates that do not contain any considerable amount of zinc, the additional electrothermic treatment of the melt consists in its separation and production of the dump slag with the use of the counterflow principle. v

Though the present invention is described in connection with a preferably embodiment thereof, it is evident that there may be made modifications and variants that do not deviate from the idea and scope of the invention, which will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. A method of processing ores and concentrates containing nonferrous and rare metals, comprising supplying oxygen together with the material to be treated into a cyclone chamber at a rate sufficient to form a rotating eddy current of said material in said chamber, firing the material in said cyclone chamber, melting said material to partially sublime volatile metals contained therein, cleaning the gases formed thereby and delivering the molten metal into an electrothermical furnace to impoverish same of its nonferrous metals.

A unit for processing ores and concentrates containing nonferrous and rare metals, said units comprising a melting chamber; a cyclone apparatus connected to said meiting chamber and being provided with an outlet hole; an ejecting device for supplying a charge into said apparatus and a cooled sill placed under the outlet hole of said cyclone apparatus.

3. A unit as ciaimed in claim 2, comprising an electrothermic furnace, connected to said melting chamber.

4. A unit as claimed in claim 2, comprising a common body for housing said melting chamber and electrothermic furnace and further comprising a cooled partition wall for isolating the melting chamber from the electrothermic furnace and preventing sulfurous anhydride from getting into said electrothermic furnace.

5. A unit as claimed in claim 3, comprising a trough for connecting said melting chamber to said electrothermic furnace.

6. A unit as claimed in claim 3, comprising a condenser connected to said electrothermic furnace for condensing of vapors of metals which are sublimated in the process of electrothermic treatment thereof.

7. A unit as claimed in claim 4, comprising a condenser connected to said electrothermic furnace for condensing of vapors of metals which are sublimated in the process of electrothermic treatment thereof.

8. A unit as claimed in claim 5, comprising a condenser connected to said electrothermic furnace for condensing of vapors of metals which are sublimated in the process of electrothermic treatment thereof. 

2. A unit for processing ores and concentrates containing nonferrous and rare metals, said units comprising a melting chamber; a cyclone apparatus connected to said melting chamber and being provided with an outlet hole; an ejecting device for supplying a charge into said apparatus and a cooled sill placed under the outlet hole of said cyclone apparatus.
 3. A unit as claimed in claim 2, comprising an electrothermic Furnace, connected to said melting chamber.
 4. A unit as claimed in claim 2, comprising a common body for housing said melting chamber and electrothermic furnace and further comprising a cooled partition wall for isolating the melting chamber from the electrothermic furnace and preventing sulfurous anhydride from getting into said electrothermic furnace.
 5. A unit as claimed in claim 3, comprising a trough for connecting said melting chamber to said electrothermic furnace.
 6. A unit as claimed in claim 3, comprising a condenser connected to said electrothermic furnace for condensing of vapors of metals which are sublimated in the process of electrothermic treatment thereof.
 7. A unit as claimed in claim 4, comprising a condenser connected to said electrothermic furnace for condensing of vapors of metals which are sublimated in the process of electrothermic treatment thereof.
 8. A unit as claimed in claim 5, comprising a condenser connected to said electrothermic furnace for condensing of vapors of metals which are sublimated in the process of electrothermic treatment thereof. 